Phonograph.



E. SCHWARTZ.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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E. SCHWARTZ.

PHONOGRAPH. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6.1918,

Patented Oct. 15, 1918 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I Ems p270 SCHWFATZ STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 15, 1918.

Application filed March 6, 1918 Serial No. 220,695.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD SCHWARTZ, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Phonographs, of which the following is a specification.

invention relates to phono raphs and partlcularly to mechanism for driving the record-carrying turntable, the object of my invention being to provide a flexible silent drive therefor.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a broken side elevation of a portion of a phonograph in which my invention is embodied in one form;

Fig. 2 is an inverted plan thereof;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 33, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a partial section showing the motor and its associated parts;

Fig. 5 is a broken elevation of the cushionin support;

Iig. 6 is a vertical section through the center bearing showing an adjusting device for the fiy-wheel driving ring.

In the illustrative embodiment of my invention here shown, I have indicated a motor platform 10 of common type, which is supported in any suitable way in the phonograph casing 11. Beneath the platform 10 is ordinarily carried. the motor coil spring and gearing which drive the usual recordcarrying turntable 12. Aside from the inconvenience of frequently rewinding the motor spring, this style of drive is inherently objectionable for the reason that the gearing requires very thorough constant lubrication in order to run with even comparative 0 silence, while the driving spring itself must be flooded with lubricant to prevent its spires from sticking together and jumping as it unwinds.

In the present construction, I have substituted not only an electric drive for the turntable, but have eliminated all gearing, so that the mechanism runs in complete silence. I have so arranged the parts, furthermore, that they are confined within the area norso mally occupied by the usual motor spring and gearing. The present mechanism may, therefore, be readily substituted for the ordinary drive without any alteration of the standard phonograph construction.

5 To support the motor, any suitable frame may be provided, but I have illustrated as my preferred construction, a divided frame comprising an upper bracket 13 secured to the lower face of the platform 10 and carrying nipples 14, within which the upper ends of c011 springs 15 are socketed and held in posltion by set screws 16. The lower portion of the frame comprises an independent bracket 113, the arms of which have nipples 17, within which the lower ends of the springs 15 are housed and engaged by set screws 18. In this way, the lower bracket 113 is suspended by cushioning springs 15 from the platform 10, and vibration minimized. The electric motor 19 is carried by a cradle 20 bolted to a bridge piece 21 formed on the bracket 113. From the pedestal 22 at the top of the bridge piece, a vertical bearing post 23 extends upward. Seated upon the post 23 is the hub 24 of a rotary spider 25, the arms of which are joined at their outer ends by a ring 26. The hub 24 is preferably conical at its upper end to form a friction fit with a .coned recess in the central bearing sleeve 27 of the turntable 12, while the tubular extension 28 passes through the sleeve 27 and forms a centering pin for the record disk. Any suitable connection may be used, however, to establish a drivin engagement between the turntable 12 and the 5 rotor 25. In order to adjust the rotary spider 25 vertically, I thread through the pin 28 an adjusting screw 29, the lower end of which rests upon the ball bearing 30, interposed between the head of the supporting post 23 and the adjusting screw 29.

In order to drive the rotor 25, I secure to the motor shaft 31, by means of a sleeve 32, a resilient extension shaft 33, at the outer end of which is a motor wheel or disk 34 of rubber or other friction material, which bears against the lower face of the rotor ring 26. By vertically adjusting the spider 25 through the screw 29, the flexion of the shaft 33 may be adjusted and thus the frictional engagement between the driving wheel 34 and the ring 26 suitably regulated. On the other end of the motor shaft 31, I secure a centrifugal governor 35, the sliding disk 36 of which is engaged by the forked end of a lever 37, pivoted at 38 to a strap 39 and subjected at its outer end to the action of an eccentric 40 in a manner well understood in the art.

The motor 19 may be of any suitable type,

g naaaooe but If prefer a compound winding which adapts it for use on circuits of various types, such as direct current or alternating current of different frequences, e. 51., the common 60 cycle and 25 cycle circuits. By bringing one terminal for each of the windings to a separate connection point, as, for instance, to plug contacts 41, 42, a3, it is possible to adapt the motor to anv of the several power systems in which the device 18 used, by merely plugging-in to one or the other of the terminals 41, 4:2, 43. In the particular construction illustrated, the power cable at has one wire 45 connected to a terminal 4.6, to which the several windings are also connected through the switch 47. fire other power cable 4:8 is connected to a terminal as, to which is attached the wire 50 of a plug 51. my inserting this plug in the proper receptacle 41, 4(2, or re, it is obvious that the appropriate windings of the motor are thereby connected to the wire main 48.

fVhile l have shown the motor 19 arranged on a horizontal axis, this arrangement is used merely because the motor runs better on a horizontal axis than on a vertical axis, and it is to be understood that I may arrange the motor in any suitable position. it is further to be understood that I may apply the friction motor wheel 84: directly to the turntable 12, either to the periphery of the latter or to the lower surface of the latter as -pre ferred, and I do not limit my invention to a drive of the turntable through the rotary spider 25 and ring 26, although I prefer this construction since it not only keeps the operating mechanism below the motor platform 10 and thus out of sight, but it has, furthermore, the advantage of afi'ording, through the ring 26, a fly-wheel action which mini mizes any irregularities in the running of the motor due to variations in the driving current. The particular construction of the flexible spring shaft 33 may be varied in many ways, but I prefer one of the type illustrated, comprising a series of concentric coil springs. Similarly, the friction wheel 3% may be made of difierent materials, but I prefer soft rubber because it is not only durable, but also afiords a good friction grip on the rotor.

in the operation of a phonograph fitted with a drive of the present type, it is not necessary to halt the motor when the turntable is stopped. The friction wheel 34 is free to rotate without injury either to itself or to the motor. in fact, the turntable may actually be rotated in the reverse direction to the drive without in any way causing damage to the motor or other part of the drive mechanism. The use of an automatic stop which halts the turntable at the end of a record is thus possible without interrupting the motor. (in the other hand, if it is 1 desired to break the motor circuit, this may be done through the operation of the switch &7, or by an automatic switch (not shown) associated with the tone arm, or automatic stop, or otherwisein a manner readily understood by those skilled in the art. Various changes in detail of construction will readily occur to those dealing with the problem, and i If do not limit myself to the features of detail here shown.

I claim 1. An electric drive for phonograph turntables comprising a rotor, means for establishing a drive connection between the rotor and the turntable, an electric motor having a flexible shaft and a driving wheel on said. shaft freely engaging said rotor to drive the same.

2. An electric drive for phonograph turntables comprising a rotor, means for establishing a drive connection between the rotor and the turntable, an electric motor having a flexible shaft and a friction driving wheel on said shaft freely engaging said rotor to drive the same.

3. An electric drive for phonograph turntables comprising a rotor, means for establishing a drive connection between the rotor and the turntable, an electric motor arranged on a horizontal axis and having a flexible shaft and a driving wheel on said shaft freely engaging said rotor to drive the same.

4. An electric drive for phonograph turn= tables comprising a rotor, an electric motor, a flexible shaft driven by the latter, and a motor wheel on said shaft freely engaging said rotor under the pressure of said flexible shaft to actuate the rotor.

5. A driving device for phonograph turntables comprising a rotor, a spring driving shaft, and a friction wheel thereon engaging said rotor under the pressure of said shaft to actuate the rotor.

6. An electric drive for phonograph turn= tables comprising a rotor having a hub adapted to carry a phonograph turntable, an electric motor, a flexible spring shaft therefor, and a friction wheel thereon engaging the rotor to drive the same.

7. An electric drive for phonograph turntables comprising supporting platform, an electric motor beneath the same, spring means for suspending said motor from the platform, a rotor on said frame adapted to engage the phonograph turntable, and means actuated by the motor for driving said rotor.

8. In an electric drive for phonograph turntables, a supporting platform, a frame arranged beneath the latter, a motor carried by said frame, a rotor having a bearing on said frame and adapted to carry the phonograph turntable, a wheel driven by said motor in operative engagement with said rotor, and means for vertically adjusting said rotor with relation to said wheel.

9. in an electric drive for phonograph turntables, a supporting platform, a frame together with means for vertically adjusting arranged beneath the latter a motor carried siud rotor with relation to said Wheel to vary by said frame, a rotor havmg a bearing on the pressure of the Wheel on the rotor. 10 said frame and adapted to carry the phono- In testimony whereof I have signed my 5 graph turntable a flexible spring shaft name to this specification.

therefor and a friction wheel mounted thereon and engaging the rotor to drive the same, EDWARD SCHWARTZ. 

